Google Summer of Code 2009

• Join the Campfire chat: https://rails.campfirenow.com/33511

Remember, this list of ideas is only a starting point! What are _you_ passionate about? What parts of Rails do you think can be improved? What directions do you think the framework can be taken in that would open new vistas for Rails developers everywhere? We'd much rather have a proposal that makes us say “Wow, I wish I'd thought of that!” than a lackluster attempt at giving us back our own ideas.

• easy-to-use sharding
• fully integrate Active Relation
• improve support for multiple database connections: fixtures, migrations, read/write for master/slave, declarative API to bind connections to models
• Active Schema: add rake tasks to:
  • generate associations from foreign key relationships in the database
  • generate validations from table constraints, e.g.:
    • validates_length_of for column sizes,
    • validates_presence_of for NOT NULLs and
    • validates_uniqueness_of for UNIQUE INDEXes.

• Service discovery on active resource (schema.xml?)
• complete Java implementation (and/or PHP, Python, Perl, …)
• automatic relationship management (what does this mean?)
• Asynchronous ActiveResource

• extract common behavior from Active Record and Active Resource

• unobtrusive, library-agnostic javascript helpers

• Refactor for easer testing and extension.

• Rails Plugins: refactor the initializer code that loads the Rails stack so it can be used in plugin tests
• Rubigen and generators interface to provide Test, ORM and Javascript agnosticism
• Rework development mode class reloading to be simpler and more robust (ActiveSupport::Dependencies)

• native C implementation
• native JRuby implementation
• DTrace probes for profiling Rails and web frameworks in general. See discussions here and here.

• End-to-end string encoding support: http request, template rendering, i18n lookups, database results
• Fast debugging/debugger support for Ruby 1.9. See Overview.
• Multiple JRuby ideas on the JRuby wiki: JRuby GSoC 2009
• Rubyspec: Support for Ruby 1.9. Check out the Rubyspec Wiki

• Parallelize unit tests by forking multiple test processes. See testjour
• Crowdsourced continuous integration: anyone can run Rails tests and submit the results along with info about their environment
• Syntax checker for (X)HTML and CSS code placed in views, helpers, function calls etc.

• ???

Applications are open from March 23 - April 3. http://socghop.appspot.com/document/show/program/google/gsoc2009/timeline

Create a profile at http://socghop.appspot.com and apply at http://socghop.appspot.com/org/show/google/gsoc2009/rails

Please add your gsoc link-id here and indicate the projects you're interested in working on.

If you are interested in more than one project, students are allowed to submit up to 20 applications (but just one will be chosen). However, one great application is probably better than two good applications though.

Advice for Students

• hadrienk: Active Record, Active Ressource, Active Model (database/orm related things)
• miloops+joshpeek: Active Model
• laktek: Unobtrusive JavaScript / Rails components
• tchandy: RubySpec: Support for 1.9
• crishoj: Active Schema
• ecin: Rack Dtrace probes + visualization; RubySpec support for Ruby 1.9
• josevalim: Rubigen and generators interface to provide Test, ORM and Javascript agnosticism
• willcannings: Rack: native C implementation with DTrace probes
• sebastian_martinez: add support for composed primary keys
• hectoregm: ActiveEncoding: End to end encoding support
• blatyo: Active Record: easy-to-use sharding, multi-database connections, connection per model, and master-slave (proposal)
• skalnik: Active Schema: add rake tasks
• luciano_panaro: Active Record: an identity map and inverse associations
• ryandotsmith: Active Relation
• kanwei: Fast debugging/debugger support for Ruby 1.9
• rkh: Merb's Parts, Active Model
• deepthawtz: Rack::Bug, Orchestra (learning what it is and how to help), help achieve *-agnosticism (testing, js, orm), Rails::Admin (or somesuch — an administration slice/engine/machine that could assist people new to Rails/Merb ⇒ Rails 3).
• abhas_saroha: testing, Action Pack
• nexonete: Active Record (Integrate Active Relation)
• imownbey: Drop-in Admin Interface
• defc0n: (X)HTML and CSS validation
• carlosk: ActiveResource Discovery
• carlosk: Asynchronous ActiveResource
• benburkert: DataMapper Support for the Admin Interface, Upgrade Tools for Rails 2.3 & Merb 1.0 to Rails 3.
• railsbob: continuous_integrator (gem and web hub) to crowdsource rails testing.

The mentor gives advice and guidance, helps set realistic goals, and evaluates progress. The student creates the masterpiece.

All members on the Rails community are welcome to act as mentors, whether you've taken on this role at work or school before or would simply like to volunteer your experience and expertise at the altar of open source.

Can you commit to a full summer of constructive communication with a student working on a project you're personally invested in? Are you more patient guide than backseat driver? Please sign up!

Create a profile on the main gsoc site then apply to be a mentor at http://socghop.appspot.com/mentor/request/google/gsoc2009/rails

Advice for Mentors

• manfred-s: end-to-end encoding
• bitsweat
• ksankar: easy-to-use sharding
• nzkoz
• jeremymcanally
• brynary (Parallelized testing, Integrating ActiveRelation, Identity map + inverse associations)
• r (for debugging)
• ddollar
• mikeg1
• lifo
• Charles Oliver Nutter (JRuby)
• Thomas Enebo (JRuby)
• bmtenbrinke
• fbuilesv (Rubyspec)
• jnicklas (code generation, rubigen, templater)